Russian literary giant Pushkin labelled as a peddler of porn

Scotsman.com ^ | 1/30/05 | MURDO MACLEOD

[Eva]

Russian literary giant Pushkin labelled as a peddler of porn

MURDO MACLEOD

HE IS the all-time giant of Russian literature, who shaped the literary heritage of the world’s biggest country.

But now Alexander Pushkin’s legacy is in danger of being tainted by an argument over whether some of his early work is pornographic, and whether his ‘adult verses’ even came from the pen of the ‘National Poet’.

A collection of his poems has been seized by Russian police as part of a crack-down on "obscene" literature. The move has horrified the nation’s literati in a country where serious literature is a serious business and popular with the masses. Only last week, Moscow’s foreign ministry published a book of poems by the nation’s diplomats.

The verses by Pushkin and another giant of Russian writing, Mikhail Lermontov, have been seized by Russian police in the city of Ivanovo, 160 miles north-east of Moscow.

[Eva]

You're right!

[antiRepublicrat]

We proved that the right can't legislate morality

Really? Laws against pornography, gambling, prostitution and use of certain drugs don't exist? Come on, it was a religious crusader who started our present-day anti-drug stance.

[antiRepublicrat]

Yes, but we proved that legislating morality doesn't work when we tried prohibition

We're not very good at learning from our mistakes, are we?

[Ciexyz]

Let's keep in mind that this is one oblast's work (state's)....

So, it's the Russian equivalent of our 9th Circuit Court.

[x]

Like many in his time and place and class Pushkin was rather loose-living. Supposedly in the days of classical education, precocious kids picked up a lot on the "dirty bits" in Greek and Latin literature. In the end though, he cut a tragic or simply sad figure, killed in a duel by a man who had been firting with his wife.

Here's his poem to Anna Kern. He wrote of her more crudely in his private papers. There is more of his writing on the website. His earlier poetry is marked by irreverence, and his later work by a penitent attitude. Over time he moved from a youthful impudence to a more reverent feeling ...

... But is it quite as clear-cut as that or were the two attitudes of rebellion and regret tied very closely together for much of his life? I don't know what the answer is, but Russians appreciate him so much because whether they want to laugh or cry, there's always an applicable line from Pushkin.

[Destro]

I am against all censorship - but this is a tale taken by the western press to illustrate that Putin is turning Russia into a police state. Just like in the USA when the FCC gets a complaint - the Russian authorities probably got a complaint and thus have to open an investigation.

Our own FCC for example had to investigate NBC's opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics because some yahoos were offended by reproductions of naked Greek statues and writhing Greek dancers.

Someone probably purhcased the book and read the following and called tha authorities

There is a disinfo campaign out there to turn people against Russia be bringing up old Cold War imagry like Pushkin is being banned or something.

Meanwhile in America Obscene prosecution - Comic Book Conviction - A Dallas comic book retailer, Jesus A. Castillo, was found guilty in August 2000 of distributing obscene material after selling a copy of Demon Beast Invasion: The Fallen #2 to an undercover cop. Last July the Court of Appeals of Texas rejected his appeal. Now he hangs onto the unlikely hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his case.

In America we sadly need a Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! - Please contribute!

[Destro]

I am against all censorship - but this is a tale taken by the western press to illustrate that Putin is turning Russia into a police state. Just like in the USA when the FCC gets a complaint - the Russian authorities probably got a complaint and thus have to open an investigation.

Our own FCC for example had to investigate NBC's opening ceremonies of the Athens Olympics because some yahoos were offended by reproductions of naked Greek statues and writhing Greek dancers.

Someone probably purhcased the book and read the following and called the authorities: "And in 'Russian Erotic Folklore,' all types of sex are illustrated: anal, group, sex with animals and even with dead bodies," he said. "I saw myself how teenagers opened the book and giggled."

There is a disinfo campaign out there to turn people against Russia be bringing up old Cold War imagry like Pushkin is being banned or something.

Meanwhile in America Obscene prosecution - Comic Book Conviction - A Dallas comic book retailer, Jesus A. Castillo, was found guilty in August 2000 of distributing obscene material after selling a copy of Demon Beast Invasion: The Fallen #2 to an undercover cop. Last July the Court of Appeals of Texas rejected his appeal. Now he hangs onto the unlikely hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his case.

In America we sadly need a Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! - Please contribute!

[A Longer Name]

We proved that the right can't legislate morality

Really? Laws against pornography, gambling, prostitution and use of certain drugs don't exist?

Don't know about pornography, but the last three laws came about due to the efforts of leftist radicals of the day. Ditto the Prohibition.

[antiRepublicrat]

Don't know about pornography, but the last three laws came about due to the efforts of leftist radicals of the day.

For the record, our current federal drug ban was started by Harry Anslinger (who, BTW, lied to Congress to get his legislation passed), and aided by William Randolph Hearst. Both were religious fundamentalists and holier-than-thou moralists.

Anslinger's morals were bendable though, since he supplied morphine to Senator Joseph McCarthy for years. Drug prohibition is only for little people.

Ditto the Prohibition.

One of the major forces behind Prohibition was the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.

[durasell]

Horrible! Indefensible!

[A Longer Name]

Woman's Christian Temperance Union used the word Christian because that was a good word. I am sure it had many christians in it's ranks, too. But it's agenda was never promotion of Christianity, and by the standard of the day it was a leftist organisation. Along with Prohibition it advocated pro-union labor reform, prison reform, various feminist causes.

Anslinger and Hearst might have been religious fundamentalists, but remember, there were plenty holier-than-thou religious fundamentalists in the 19th century, and yet there were no laws against gambling, drinking, or prostitution. The aguments for such laws, when they passed, were not religious ones (like, "let's save the souls of sinners against there will.") They were basically the leftist-type arguments--"the greater good of the society."

[antiRepublicrat]

Woman's Christian Temperance Union used the word Christian because that was a good word.

Here's how they got founded:

"In many towns in Ohio and New York in the fall of 1873 women concerned about the destructive power of alcohol met in churches to pray and then marched to the saloons to ask the owners to close their establishments. They met with success but it was only temporary so by the next summer the women concluded that they must become organized nationally. This led to the founding of the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union ..."

It was basically a women's church group gone national. That's why "Christian" is in the name.

So we've covered drugs and booze prohibition as religious-based, as well as racist in Anslinger's case. Now on to gambling and prostitution.

The National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling is run by -- well I'm not surprised -- one Reverend Tom Grey. And look at this.

John Reese is about the biggest anti-prostitution crusader in Nevada, and he started it for religious reasons. Otherwise, just look at the papers to see religious organizations condemning prostitution all the time.

And don't forget the fundies trying to get Harry Potter and Dungeons and Dragons banned.